UN Watch, in collaboration with NGO Monitor, hosted a special event marking 25 years since the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban.
Durban marked a watershed in the global campaign to delegitimize Israel. The conference, and particularly the parallel NGO Forum, became a platform for virulent anti-Israel activism and overt antisemitism, giving new international reach and legitimacy to a campaign conducted under the banner of human rights.
The conversation considered Durban’s lasting impact 25 years on, including its influence on the international human rights system, the campaign against Israel, and the continuing challenge of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias within international institutions.
Panelists:
• Hon. Irwin Cotler: Founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, former Canadian Minister of Justice, and witness to the conference’s shift toward an anti-Israel focus.
• Prof. Dina Porat: Chief Historian of Yad Vashem, Professor at Tel Aviv University, and an active participant in combating the NGO Forum’s resolutions.
• David Harris: Visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University who engaged directly with the U.S. delegation’s withdrawal under Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The discussion was co-moderated by UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer and by Prof. Gerald Steinberg, President of NGO Monitor.
